MLB reportedly looking to reduce minor league roster spots

Major League Baseball submitted a comprehensive proposal to the MLBPA this past Saturday. Early reports were that the players came away unimpressed, but have yet to officially respond. Another detail of that proposal leaked out Monday night when ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the league is looking to eliminate hundreds of minor league playing jobs.

The Domestic Reserve List is what governs the number of minor league players that a team can roster at any time. It is currently set at 180. The league’s proposal would have kept it at 180 for the 2022 season but would have allowed the commissioner’s office to reduce that number to as few as 150 over the remainder of the CBA.

The report states that there are five teams currently that have more than 180 players on their Domestic Reserve List and two teams that have less than 150.

According to Passan, this is something that the league has proposed multiple times in the past but has always been rejected by the Players Association. Per the report, the union is planning to reject this latest proposal as well.